Comparative Effects of an Experimental and a Conventional Seed Cotton Drying System on Cotton Fiber Properties

Excerpts from the report: Over the past 10 to 15 years, numerous ginning-spinning studies have been made to determine the effects that harvesting, seed cotton drying and cleaning, lint cleaning, and the interaction of these variables have on spinning performance and yarn quality. These studies have shown that excessive drying of seed cotton adversely affects fiber length and length distribution, and this, in turn, affects spinning performance and yarn quality. In 1961 Stanford Research Institute began the development of a throughflow, controlled-humidity, drying system for seed cotton. This system is designed to dry cotton uniformly to a predetermined moisture content without using an air temperature high enough to damage the cotton. Subsequently, a pilot-plant investigation was conducted with the support of the Foundation for Cotton Research and Education of the National Cotton Council, the J. G. Boswell Company, the Continental Gin Company, and the cooperation of the Agricultural Research Service and the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The objective of this phase of the study was to determine the effects that the two drying systems had on fiber and yarn properties, and spinning performance.